Rent rise due in July
Rent rise date change
Your rent will not change in April. Last year we moved all our rent change dates to the July.
If you receive Universal Credit (UC): The UC portal will still ask you if your rent is set to change in April 2023. When they ask if your housing costs are changing in April, you should click ‘NO’ in the UC portal.
You should NOT enter any revised charges. We will be in touch with you before July 2023 to let you know if there are any changes to your charges that you need to tell UC about.
Rent rise in July
As you will most likely be all too aware, the beginning of July will see a rent increase which the government has allowed to be set at 7% for rented housing. The rent increase for older people's services and support is 11.1%. The state pension and benefits increase by 10% this year. Shared ownership rent increases are unique to the lease.
We know that it’s an extremely tough time with the cost of living crisis continuing to hit us all. Increasing rent is always a difficult decision, we have had to put up costs because all of Westward’s costs are rising too. For example, this year every fence panel has gone up 60% in price.
We wanted to remind you that no-one is profiting from the rent increase - there are no shareholders at Westward – it’s all reinvested in your homes and services. We use the rent money to pay for new kitchens and bathrooms, windows and doors and heating systems. It helps us provide better insulation and roofing which makes homes warmer and cheaper to heat. It also goes towards the cost of employing staff, providing support, improving the communities you live in and providing local homes for the next generation. We continue to focus on how we can make savings on the services that we provide to you. We don’t have a magic wand that we can wave to fix everything, we wish we did. We will do our utmost to support you so that you can afford to stay in your home. We have good people here with a lot of financial knowledge, skills and experience. They will talk to you and help you find the best way through.
If you are struggling, have you looked at our Household Support Fund – this could help. Our Westward Assurance means that if you are talking to us and working with us then you will not lose your home. We will help you to set up a realistic payment plan. There are clear, easy to use sections throughout our website for making sure you’re getting all you’re entitled to, debt advice, online deals, budget planning, energy saving tips, foodbanks and mental health support for money worries.
If you are struggling, talk to us. If you are having difficulty paying your rent, contact us as soon as possible. We will contact you to discuss if you are entitled to any further financial help and to set up an affordable payment plan that fits with your circumstances.
So please reach out: talk to us. You will find us friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.
The best way to manage your rent account is by setting up a Westward MyAccount.